Community Forums

macraekw · 11-20-2013, 03:06 PM

Took our coach in today for its first followup service since we purchased it about a month ago and just before we reached the dealership, I noted that the engine temp was at 220 degrees and the transmission climbed to 230. The engine warning light came on and the stop engine light came on intermittently. Luckily, the dealership was just about 1/8 mile away. Any ideas on what is going on?

palehorse89 · 11-20-2013, 03:12 PM

Problems with the cooling system, radiator needs cleaned,thermostat stuck partiality closed,controls for the radiator fan not operating correctly(should go to full fan soeed?) more than likely the radiator is really dirty and needs cleaned. Let us know what they find. Good luck....

phays · 11-20-2013, 04:38 PM

What year, model and engine do you have? How far had it been driven and what were the road conditions?

I have a 2000 Magna with CAT C10 engine. My sensors for the fan controller failed and I had similar problems. But as pointed out in the previous post, there are lots of things that can cause overheating.

You can force the fan to run on high speed by running the dash air on max a/c, by removing the power plug to the fan controller or by removing the fuse to the fan controller. In my case, my refrigerant level is low and setting the dash air to max a/c would not cause the fan to go to high speed. I added a switch in series with the fuse to the fan controller and manually switched the power off and on as needed to keep the engine cool until I got the sensors replaced.

dons2346 · 11-20-2013, 08:18 PM

First thing to look at is your coolant level. You should be able to see coolant in the sight glass. You will get a check engine light and get engine shut down with a low coolant level. Ask me how I know.

B Bob · 11-20-2013, 10:15 PM

We need more information. Why do you think both your engine and transmission overheat at the same time? The only reason my motor and transmission get warm at the same time is heavy use. Engines can overheat due to low coolant, heavy use, clogged radiator, fan not operating, outside of radiator is blocked by debris, damaged water pump, bad thermostat, blockage of some sort in a cooling line. Transmission can be due to low fluid, blocked transmission coolant line, heavy usage.

So lots of possibilities. Tell us more of the story and I will make a better guess.

macraekw · 11-21-2013, 12:44 AM

Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread. To be more clear, we have a 2005 Country Coach Allure 470. Cat9 400hp engine. Allison 6 speed. Drove 24 miles to the dealership of which 14 miles was interstate travel at around 60mph. Dealer put in a brand new aluminum radiator before we took delivery in mid October. Light rain. Temperature around 50 degrees. We took it on a short local shake-down cruise about a week ago and didn't note any temperature problems on either the engine or the transmission. I don't have the Chelsea Parker wet spline PTO so I'm wondering if the PTO failed (although I did not loose steering control). Or, perhaps the radiator was installed incorrectly?

laj · 11-21-2013, 02:34 AM

they replaced radiator with a new alum. one? that surprises me with all the known failures i of the original alum. ones.

Dave 430 · 11-21-2013, 07:50 AM

If they put in a new radiator and suddenly you are seeing high temp with it, I would be very concerned about this "Install" and/or "Product." If you didn't purchase an extended warranty, I would look into one, especially one that covers your cooling system. You could always get a second opinion on what is happening. Yes, it costs $$$, but your peace of mind and not worrying about some type of problem while traveling.

smlranger · 11-21-2013, 08:05 AM

As others have noted, I would have someone who really knows about these set ups check the system thoroughly. If you got a new radiator as part of your purchase deal, aluminum or not, at least you have a new radiator. Keep it clean (especially if you ever drive on salted roads in winter) and hopefully it will last many years.

I would also agree that something might be wrong with the way they installed something. Did they remove the fan? If so, did they install the fan so it is blowing out the cooling pack vs pulling air in from the outside? I believe CAT's have two thermostats so maybe they are bad if they did not replace the T-stats when they did the radiator work. Does your set up have a coolant filter? If so, was it changed or how long has it been since it was last changed? Maybe it is stopped up and impeding coolant flow.

laj · 11-21-2013, 08:19 AM

how exactly does your temp gauge react? is it solid, does it have the wiggle finger effect, when it climbs does it stay steady up high. just curious.

macraekw · 11-21-2013, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laj

they replaced radiator with a new alum. one? that surprises me with all the known failures i of the original alum. ones.

I've done my research and believe that the new aluminum radiators are superior to the old ones - that's why all the over-the-road truckers use them and aluminum radiators are installed in all the new trucks. They cool more effectively than steel and copper.

macraekw · 11-21-2013, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave 430

If they put in a new radiator and suddenly you are seeing high temp with it, I would be very concerned about this "Install" and/or "Product." If you didn't purchase an extended warranty, I would look into one, especially one that covers your cooling system. You could always get a second opinion on what is happening. Yes, it costs $$$, but your peace of mind and not worrying about some type of problem while traveling.

I purchased an extended warranty and the dealership is part of the Route 66 nektwork of dealers. They offer a "bumper-to-bumper" 66 day warranty from the date of purchase so I'm not too worried about it.

macraekw · 11-21-2013, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smlranger

As others have noted, I would have someone who really knows about these set ups check the system thoroughly. If you got a new radiator as part of your purchase deal, aluminum or not, at least you have a new radiator. Keep it clean (especially if you ever drive on salted roads in winter) and hopefully it will last many years.

I would also agree that something might be wrong with the way they installed something. Did they remove the fan? If so, did they install the fan so it is blowing out the cooling pack vs pulling air in from the outside? I believe CAT's have two thermostats so maybe they are bad if they did not replace the T-stats when they did the radiator work. Does your set up have a coolant filter? If so, was it changed or how long has it been since it was last changed? Maybe it is stopped up and impeding coolant flow.

Don't know the answer to those questions as I am a novice at all but thanks for the questions. I will pose them to the dealer.

macraekw · 11-21-2013, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laj

how exactly does your temp gauge react? is it solid, does it have the wiggle finger effect, when it climbs does it stay steady up high. just curious.

It steadily climbed from about 190 up to 220 and remained steady there. The rate of climb was fairly rapid from about 195 to 220. The needle was not erratic. Thanks for your input. Still waiting to hear from the dealer what the problem was.